Of Train Stations and Coincidences
by seriouslydelusional
Summary: Sonoda Umi finds herself being attracted to a girl she once saw on the train station. She finds it hard to approach her, so she settles with just observing her from afar. College!AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Love Live! This is entirely a work of fiction. These characters aren't mine :)

**A/N:** This is the unbeta'd version of the story. I own up to any mistakes in the story.

* * *

She's late.

Sonoda Umi is late for her first class, which started thirty minutes ago.

_Am I going to make it?_

Rushing past the many train commuters, she makes her way to the ticket booth and purchases her train ticket. Panting heavily, she checks the schedules. The train going to Hongo-sanchome Station left five minutes ago.

_And the next train will arrive in ten minutes._

"…If it weren't for that 10-page essay for the English Lit class," she says irritably, plopping herself down on a nearby bench and setting her bag beside her.

She woke up five minutes before her 8am class, resulting to her mad rush to the train station earlier. She was up until 3am the night before to finish her essay, which was returned to her by her professor asking for its revision. _And he's expecting it on his desk before 10am today._ _I can't even argue that I have other reports to finish._

Bringing out a copy of_ Japanese History and Civilization _from herbag, she opens it to her bookmarked page_. Since I already missed my first class, might as well study for my next._

Just then, she hears a noise nearby. She looks up to see a girl apologizing for bumping into an older woman.

"S-Sorry, I didn't see you because of the stuff I was carrying"

"It's alright, dear. Just be careful next time."

The girl smiles and, once again, apologizes to the older woman who smiles in return. She then makes her way to the other bench, across where Umi is, and sits down, depositing her things beside her. _Her voice sounds nice, a bit high-pitched, but, nonetheless nice._ Umi blushes, having realized what she was thinking.

The other girl pulls out a sketchpad from her things and starts flipping some pages. Looking closely, Umi observes that the girl looks really stylish with her red collar blouse and black skirt. She takes note of the girl's hair. Grayish-brown with a green ribbon tied to the right side. The girl looks up and their eyes meet.

_Crap._

Umi diverts her eyes.

"The train going to Hongo-sanchome Station will arrive shortly. Passengers, please proceed to Platform 4A"

Hearing the announcement for the arrival of her train, Umi gathers her things and gets up. She makes her way to the indicated platform and doesn't dare look back to the other girl, knowing that her red face will give way to her embarrassment.

_Mornings should not start this way._

* * *

Today is Saturday, which means that Umi has an obligatory weekly meet-up with her two friends from high school.

_We will arrive at Ochanomizu Station in five minutes,_ is heard from the speakers.

Umi is currently sitting near the door, preoccupied with a book. She has just finished her archery practice for the day and is on her way to Akihabara to meet her friends.

Looking up from the book she's reading, she watches as the train slowly comes to a halt. The door opens and the passengers exit the train car. She goes back to her reading.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Umi didn't notice the train start moving, too absorbed with her book. She looks up.

_Amber_

That is the first thing Umi sees. The color of a girl's eyes. The same girl she saw last Monday. The girl who caught her staring.

"N-No, not really" she stammers, having remembered that she was asked a question.

The girl smiles at her. Umi knows that her face, even her ears, is red from her blushing. She removes the bag from the seat beside her and places it on her lap. She pretends to go back to her reading. The girl sits down next to her.

_Why does this happen to me? She probably remembers what I did last time._

If it's possible, Umi's face goes a deeper shade of red. Glancing sideways, Umi observes the other girl. White dress and a green bolero jacket, a sketching pad and a few pencils inside her bag.

_She must be an art student._

The speakers come to life, jarring her from her observations.

"We will arrive at Akihabara Station in a short while. Passengers, please wait until the doors fully open before you exit"

The girl beside her gathers her things into her hands. Umi catches a glimpse of a name written on the corner of the girl's sketchpad.

The passengers start to line up, waiting for the train doors to open.

_She probably doesn't remember me after all._

The train comes to a stop. The doors open. Passengers begin to exit.

The girl stands up and makes her way to the door. Umi looks at her.

Before the girl exits, Umi swears she saw the girl glance back at her.

_Or maybe she does._

Dumbfounded, Umi forgets that she has to get out. The _ding_ of the train doors, signalling that it will soon close, startles her. She hurriedly stands up and joins the last batch of passengers exit the train.

_Did I just imagine that?_

Feeling the oncoming blush, she covers her mouth with the back of her hand. (As if doing so would help alleviate her embarrassment).

She looks at her surroundings. Akihabara Station is packed with people.

"- Kotori-chan!"

Umi turns to see the girl being hugged by her ginger-haired friend. They start walking side by side and talk animatedly –well, her friend does, the girl just nods and smiles in response.

_White ribbon this time huh?_

* * *

"You're a stalker."

"N-no, I am not!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

"I just happen to be _observant_ and know her name because of certain circumstances."

Ayase Eri –Umi's best friend since they were little kids— looks at her disbelievingly. She knows her friend has a habit to _people watch_, but focusing on a certain _girl_ that she only saw a few _days_ ago is borderline stalker-ish.

"Really? So, knowing the name _Minami Kotori_ does not make you a stalker?"

Umi glares at her.

They are currently sitting in a booth inside a café in Akihabara, waiting for their orders to arrive. Their current topic of conversation: Umi's stalker tendencies.

"I caught a glimpse of it on her sketchpad," she clarifies. She knows Eri would not let it go, given the smirk plastered on her face, so she diverts her friend's attention.

"Anyway, what is this I'm hearing that you are _interested_ in someone?"

Eri blushes, "W-what?"

"I learned it from Nico." Now, it's Umi's turn to smile smugly. _Success!_

"My, my, our clever and cute Erichika has grown up now," She teases, avoiding a crumpled paper thrown her way.

"S-shut up!"

Umi laughs heartily.

_She's so easy to rile up. At least that got me out of the interrogation._

* * *

After Umi's probing, she finds out —forces out, actually— that Eri is _interested_ in Nico's friend from university. Although, she wouldn't divulge any other information, afraid that Umi will embarrass her, thus, reducing her chances to zero.

After their bantering dies down, they settle into silence, content with reading their own respective books while drinking tea –in Eri's case, eating her parfait.

"What happened to you?"

Umi looks up to see Yazawa Nico, wiping her dress with a tissue.

"Spilled coffee," Nico deadpans.

Eri archs an eyebrow, indicating for Nico to elaborate.

"I turned around a corner near the coffee shop and bumped into this redhead who spilled her coffee on me!" she says, exasperated. She gives up on wiping the stain off her dress. "She doesn't even have the decency to apologize and even got angry at me for _spilling coffee_ on her medical journals"

Nico moves to sit beside Eri, dropping her bag on the empty space beside her. "She should feel lucky it was I, soon-to-be idol Nico nico-nii, who bumped into her."

Umi and Eri look at each other.

"So, was it settled?" Umi asks, choosing to ignore the last part of what Nico said. _Her confidence level sure is high._

"Yeah! I bought her a new one." Nico grabs another tissue and starts wiping on her arms.

"Then, thinking that it would do the girl a favour, got my marker out and signed the cup", she adds nonchalantly.

Eri chuckles. Umi tries her best to contain her smirk.

_Typical Nico,_ they both think.

"Anyway, Eri, Tojo-san asked me to give this to you," says Nico, handing her a wad of papers. "Since you're a Business Administration major, she asked me if you could go over the script for the film of our joint class project and correct the theories stated there."

Eri grabs the script. "The story revolves around two students fighting for an internship position, who appears to hate each other, but in reality—"

Umi tunes out what Nico is saying and looks at Eri. She could see that her face has a tinge of pink.

_Tojo-san. . . Interesting._

"Tojo-san?" asks Umi, looking at Nico.

"Yeah. Friend from university," answers Nico, annoyed that she was interrupted. "I'm playing as one of the leads for the film, since, you know, I'm _Yazawa Nico_. She's the scriptwriter and director."

Umi smirks and looks at Eri intently.

Eri tries her best to avoid eye contact.

"So, what's she like?" asks Umi, not taking her eyes off Eri.

"Perceptive, kind, a mix of weird and mysterious, but it adds to her charm. She— " Nico stops. She looks between Umi, who is staring intently at Eri with a smug grin, and Eri, who is blushing profusely.

"Are you asking me? or are you asking Eri?" Nico asks, confusion evident on her face. Then, it dawned on her. She laughs.

Hard.

"I forgot," she says in between her bouts of laughter, "You have a major crush on Tojo Nozomi"

Eri groans. She clearly doesn't like the attention being directed at her by her two friends.

"I-I don't," denies Eri. "I just find her attractive and charming—"

"—which confirms your crush on her," says Nico, a smug grin forming on her face.

"What about Umi, then?" Eri redirects the attention to Umi, whose smug grin is instantly wiped off her face.

"What about her?" inquires Nico, curious with the new development. She stares at Umi who looks uncomfortable.

Eri proceeds to talk about Umi's adventures in the train station and her stalker tendencies.

"I didn't know the shy, honor student Sonoda Umi, has what it takes to be a stalker!"

"I told you! I just happened to have seen her sketchpad!" Umi cries out, her blush evident on the tips of her ears and neck. _Why am I friends with these two again?_

"That doesn't explain you always _staring_ at her!" exclaims Nico, her eyes glinting. "Even though you're one year younger than me and Eri, you're too bold."

"I'll have you know that I'm a very observant and perceptive person—"

"—and a bit bold—" interrupts Eri with a close-lipped smile.

Umi glares at her, "—_and _curious in nature. I wouldn't just blatantly stare. I was _discreet!_ I just took a glance at her—"

Nico snorts. Umi glowers at her. "—because I saw her _twice_ on the train station!"

Umi finishes her rant with a sigh.

"You should probably introduce yourself to her next time, since you know her name, but she doesn't know yours, and you know, you were being _discreet_ in your _observation_"

Nico and Eri burst into laughter.

Umi facepalms, knowing her whole face went crimson.

_I wish the earth would swallow me whole right now._

* * *

Umi wasn't sure how she became friends with Nico. All she remembers is that Eri introduced Nico to her one time, during their highschool days. Although the two girls are a year older than Umi, they seem to find time in going home together since they live in the same area.

She observes her two friends have a friendly argument about mundane things. _Nothing's change much._

Having Nico around is quite a handful because of her troublesome nature. Back in highschool, Eri and Nico seem to argue a lot because of their different personalities. Umi sometimes thought that, maybe, Eri hated Nico, but she saw the way Eri treated Nico like a little sister, so she ruled out that idea.

She watches Eri's _i-am-not-amused_ face and Nico's smug smile. _One thing's for sure though. They both are quite stubborn._

They went to UTX highschool together —Eri and Nico shared the same classes. The three of them belonged to different clubs, with Eri as the Student Council president, Nico, the president of the Idol Research Club and Umi with her Archery Club. It's a miracle how they remained as close friends.

_I can't complain though. It's fun to have Nico around._

"—so, how are you going to introduce yourself to her?" Nico asks, directing all her attention to the younger girl. She leans forward on her seat.

_Nevermind._

"Can we please move on?" pleads Umi, a telltale signs of a blush showing on her face. She pulls out her binder and starts taking down notes from her textbook. _I will not honor that with a response._

"I'm just curious. Besides, I have nothing to do here," Nico looks between her two friends who started taking down notes, "Since both of you are focused on your studies."

"Sorry." They both say in unison.

"I have a Pre-calc exam on Monday—"

"—and I need to finish my report for my Soc Psych class"

Nico is not amused. _Todai students_

She sighs. _The next time we meet up, I'll demand to have no other school distractions._

* * *

Monday rolls in and Umi makes her way to the train station.

_Thank God I woke up early today._

She walks leisurely to the entrance gate. She passes by the guards, who check the passenger's bags, and purchases her ticket from the booth. She turns around and—

—She spots _her._

Alone.

On a bench.

Sleeping.

Her conversation with Eri and Nico in the café replays on her mind. _It's not as if I have a crush on her or something._

She tugs her _yumi bukuro_ closer to her and approaches the girl. She sits two seats away from her –Umi figures that she should keep her distance.

_I'm sitting here not because of my interest, but because there are no other seats vacant._ She justifies in her head.

She pulls out her book to read, but keeps on stealing glances at the girl.

_Green ribbon again._

"The train going to Shinjuku Station will arrive shortly. Passengers, please proceed to platform 2B."

The girl is jostled out of her slumber by the announcement. She wipes her mouth off some drool and gathers her things. She stands up and moves toward the announced platform.

After a short distance, the girl —_Minami Kotori_, Umi mentally tells herself— turns around.

Umi's heart skips a beat —or two. Her eyes go wide.

_Crap. Did she know I was watching her?_

The girl walks toward the seat she previously occupied. She bends down to retrieve something.

She forgot her _sketchpad._

Umi lets go of the breath she didn't know she was holding in.

_For a second, I thought she turned around to talk to me._

After grabbing her sketchpad, Minami Kotori makes her way to the platform, oblivious to the attention Umi was giving her.

_She's a bit clumsy._

The corner of Umi's lips turn upward.

_So she rides a train to Shinjuku Station._

Umi can't seem to keep the smile off her face that day.

* * *

The days pass by with a blur.

The next time Umi sees _Minami Kotori_ again, it's on a Wednesday afternoon.

She just got out of the train car when she sees _her_ walking towards the exit. She's carrying a lot of stuff —_way too much_ if you ask Umi.

After a few steps, the girl trips, making her stuff fly out of her hands. Fabrics are strewn on the floor and a few pieces of paper are scattered around her. Minami Kotori immediately starts collecting her things. Umi steps forward, concerned for the girl—then she hesitates.

_What if she remembers me and thinks I'm a creep or something._

Fortunately, a ginger-haired girl —probably a friend of Minami Kotori— rushes towards her.

"Honoka-chan!"

"Geez, Kotori-chan should be careful next time!" They start gathering the things lying on the floor.

"Sorry—"

"—you should ask some of your friends from _Bunka_ to help you out sometime—" Umi hears the ginger-haired girl say.

"—don't just let them push you over just because you're the head of the project—"

Minami Kotori visibly deflates.

_Her friend is really straightforward._

Her friend sees it and tries to take back what she said.

"—I just meant that you're too kind. You should say no or ask for help from time to time."

They finish collecting Minami Kotori's things. Her friend —_Honoka-chan_, as what Umi heard— offers her hand to the other girl. She takes it and allows her friend to lift her.

They begin to walk towards the exit, the ginger-haired girl carrying half the load Minami Kotori was holding a while ago.

Umi smiles.

_I've been standing here, watching them interact._

She looks at the spot occupied by the two girls before.

_Maybe I _do_ have a tiny bit of a crush on her._

* * *

After a quick search on the internet, Umi found out about _Bunka Fashion College._

She added that to the mental list of what she knows about Minami Kotori.

She crosses out '_an arts student'_ on her list.

* * *

Weeks pass with Umi following her routine and without anything _eventful_ happening.

Except, maybe, somewhat knowing Minami Kotori's schedule and seeing her at the train station a couple of times.

That's when she decides to stop '_observing from afar'_ and try to initiate conversation —maybe, _befriend_ her in the process.

One thing about Umi though, is that she has this determined attitude, that once she sets her mind to something, she makes sure that she sees it through. No matter what.

The day she finally manages to strike a conversation with _her,_

is the day she makes a big fool out of herself.

_Again._

Umi sees _her_ on the same seat she first occupied all those weeks ago. Luckily, the seat beside _her_ is free.

Umi realizes that now is a good chance as any. She mentally readies herself.

She inhales a lungful of air, breathing out confidence when she exhales. _Here goes nothing._

She _willingly_ approaches the girl —with _her_ being conscious this time.

Ten steps away from her.

_Just say hi._

Eight steps.

_What if she doesn't respond?_

Six steps.

_Maybe she'll think I'm a creep._

Four.

_I already am, right?_

Two.

_No. Don't think about it. Just introduce yourself._

She stops in front of _her_. The girl looks up at her, curious as to why Umi is standing in front of her.

Umi opens her mouth. Closes it. She can feel her ears start to burn in chagrin.

"Excuse me, do you know what time it is?" She manages to squeak out.

_Really? That's how you initiate conversation?_ She mentally berates herself.

The girl looks at her funny. Umi can only stare in return. Her heart is beating out of her chest— with the way it is pounding, a heart attack would not be unexpected.

Still no response from the girl.

Umi's confidence is slowly starting to dwindle.

Then, the girl _smiles_. At that moment, Umi firmly cements her belief that angels do exist on earth.

The girl glances at Umi's arm.

Then she checks her time.

"It's 2:45pm," she answers, her smile still plastered firmly on her face, "I suppose your wristwatch stopped working this instant?"

Umi can hear a hint of teasing somewhere in the girl's tone. She knows she will hyperventilate any minute now. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. She reminds herself to breathe properly.

"Yeah. I suppose it did." She agrees without thought, unable to comprehend that she is _actually_ talking to the girl.

"I should probably introduce myself, since we have been crossing paths in this station often," the girl extends her hand, "I'm Minami Kotori"

"I-I'm Sonoda Umi," She stutters, taking the offered hand. _Finally._

After their introductions, silence envelopes them. (Umi doesn't dare start another conversation for her fear of scaring the girl away)

She takes a seat beside the girl and pulls out her phone.

_I should probably text Eri and tell her I'll be a little late for our weekly meet-up._

She looks at her wristwatch.

Wristwatch_._

She forgot that she is wearing one.

And that it is, technically, still _working_.

Her whole face flushed crimson.

_At least I got to introduce myself and start a conversation._

* * *

"You're way too lively today."

Umi looks up from the book she's reading. She is in the café she usually frequents, along with Eri. (Nico texted them earlier that she won't be able to meet them because of her film project.)

Eri raises one of her eyebrows, "You've been humming and smiling since we arrived here."

"Really?" Umi appears to be not bothered.

Eri looks at her quizzically. She takes note of Umi's grin—wide and clearly pleased, "Yes, you have."

She studies her friend and feels the need to ask, since she's the best friend—but, more so, because she's curious, "Did something happen?"

Umi fakes innocence and shakes her head no. "Nothing."

Eri is about to call her out on her lie when she hears her phone buzz. Umi sees her friend's change in demeanour. She takes note of her friend's soft smile.

"Is that Tojo Nozomi?"

"S-s-shut up!"

* * *

A tentative friendship is formed between Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori.

They start off with shy smiles —mostly from Umi— and polite hellos (Since Umi was taught to be polite at all times, _thank you very much._)

They don't hit it off at once. Umi is content with just knowing that her _crush_ —she pretty much accepted the fact that she has a crush on the girl— notices her on the train station. Though, on certain occasions, they start little conversations about the most random things. (Like the weather)

She sometimes wishes she's brave enough to deepen their friendship.

It's not like she wants to start a relationship with her right away. She just wants to be _close friends_.

Maybe invite her to the movies sometimes.

Or amusement parks.

Even dinner.

Friends do that right?

* * *

One Wednesday afternoon, as Umi got out of the train car, she sees Kotori walking towards the exit.

_She's carrying a lot of stuff again_

Kotori stumbles on her feet, sending the contents of her paper bag flying out of her hands.

This time, Umi doesn't hesitate to help her. She rushes towards the girl and helps gather her belongings.

Kotori notices her presence and flashes her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Sonoda-san"

They stand up after collecting everything lying on the floor. They stay rooted to their spot and awkwardly gaze at one another.

"Minami-san, do you want me to carry half the load?" Umi eventually asks, ever the gentlewoman she is.

Kotori hesitates, then she agrees, "Sure." She transfers half her things to Umi. They start walking side by side (Umi maintains her distance. She doesn't want to seem overly friendly with the girl).

"Where's your friend?" Umi starts the conversation, "Doesn't she usually come here and help you every Wednesday?"

Kotori archs one of her eyebrows, "Usually?"

_Crap._

Umi realizes her mistake and quickly corrects herself.

"I mean, I coincidentally saw you guys a couple of times in this station, so I thought that, you know, maybe, she helps you carry your stuff and all. . ."

Umi wants to bury herself in a hole somewhere.

_Really smooth there._

After a while, Kotori seems to accept her reasoning, so she answers, "She has practice today since she has an upcoming music performance in their university."

An awkward silence soon follows after.

Umi contemplates on what to say next. Fortunately, Kotori saves her from saying something embarrassing.

"So, I take it that you are also in university? What school, if you don't mind answering?"

"Yes." responds Umi. She shifts her load to her other arm and takes a glance at Kotori, "I study in the University of Tokyo, Hongo Campus. Bachelor of Arts in Literature."

A genuine surprise crosses Kotori's face, then she beams at Umi, "It actually fits your image."

Umi fights off the unmistakeable blush on her facial features. _Is it just me or is it becoming too hot in here?_

"How about you?" she asks after she's sure that her blush has lessened.

"Bunka Fashion College. I belong to the Fashion Technology Department," Kotori proudly says.

Umi smiles widely. _She's too cute._

After that, conversation went smoothly between the two. Umi found a lot of things about Kotori and vice versa. They reach the exit gate. Umi hands the stuff she is holding to Kotori.

"So," Umi trails off, disappointment lacing her tone, "this is where we part."

"Yeah," answers Kotori, taking note of Umi's tone. _Why is she disappointed?_ She wonders while observing Umi's behavior.

"See you around, Sonoda-san."

Kotori turns around and starts to move away.

Umi watches her back.

She makes a mental note to walk the girl home next time.

_If there's a next time._

* * *

In a span of a few weeks, Umi has managed to fill out a mental list of what she knows about Minami Kotori.

That she studies at Bunka Fashion College

That her childhood best friend is Kousaka Honaka who studies music and voice.

That she attended Otonokizaka high school, since her mom is the chairwoman.

That she can sing quite well —in Umi's opinion anyway.

That she works as a part time maid in Akihabara every Fridays and Saturdays.

That she has a set of different colored ribbons —Kotori told her that she doesn't only wear a _white_ or a _green_ ribbon.

She likes the color gray.

She likes animals, especially alpacas.

Her favourite food is cheesecake and dislikes anything with garlic in it —Umi found out about it when she offered the girl her garlic bread one morning.

And lastly, that she can be really _persuasive_. (Or probably because Umi just can't say no to her.)

* * *

"Sorry for being late. I was caught up with—"

Umi looks among the three people on the table. She has just arrived inside their usual café. Eri texted her to get there as soon as possible or else she will leave.

"—afternoon traffic," She finishes. "Did I miss something major here?"

"Hi. I'm Tojo Nozomi"

She eyed the girl sitting beside Nico, and then shifts her eyes to Nico, who is containing her smile, lastly focusing on Eri, whose eyes are telling her to _not do anything remotely embarrassing._

Umi grins.

"Sonoda Umi. Nice to meet you." She extends her hand. Nozomi gladly takes it.

"I've heard so much about you from—" Umi peers at Eri, "—Nico"

Nozomi doesn't seem to notice —or mind. "Yeah. We are working on the same project after all." She smiles.

Looking closely, Umi could see that this girl really is beautiful. Purple hair tied into two low ponytails. Turquoise eyes. Charming smile. _No wonder she caught the attention of our Russian friend._

"Is that how you two met?" inquires Umi, genuinely curious.

"No. We first met at the Shinochanomizu Station. Yazawa-san helped me with my camera equipment."

Umi looks at Eri. "Isn't that the train station you also—"

"—you must be hungry because of the traffic, why don't I accompany you to the front to order your food?" Eri interrupts, standing up.

Umi looks at Eri and notices that her friend is becoming uncomfortable with the situation.

"Yeah. Sure," agrees Umi, "I would like that."

They excuse themselves and make their way to the front. Umi states her order. Before going back to their booth, She grabs Eri by the shoulders and pulls her away.

"What's wrong?" Umi asks when they make it to the corner of the room. Eri's tries to avoid eye contact.

_So stubborn._

Umi looks her dead in the eye. Eri concedes. "She doesn't know that I sometimes see her at the train station. . ."

She darts her eyes away from Umi. ". . .even before we were formally introduced by Nico"

_So that's why._

"I know I'm stoic and awkward, and I don't know how approach a person or make friends," the blonde continues, "but she appears to really not mind it one bit."

Eri bites her lower lip. "She's the one who usually greets me and starts the conversation everytime we cross paths."

She bows her head to hide the fact that her face went crimson.

"I really like her." She mumbles.

Umi smiles in understanding. _It probably took a lot of courage for her to admit that she likes Tojo-san._

"You're basically the same as me in the shy department, Eri."

She looks up and rolls her eyes at Umi, but she can see the corner of Eri's mouth forming into a smile.

_I don't know what I'll do with her. She acts tough but she's just like a little puppy sometimes._

They go back to their booth and slip inside. Eri is back to her usual calm demeanour.

"So, what brings you here, Tojo-san?"

Umi takes this time to get to know the girl. She wouldn't just give her best friend to anyone unworthy. Eri and Nico look at her, knowing what she's trying to do. (You don't want to mess with a Protective Umi. She means business.)

"I was supposed to meet a friend in the coffee shop around the corner, but then, she was called back by her professor. Something about her report analysis"

"I see," Umi trails off, "So you just wandered around the area?"

"No, not really. I planned to go home but then—" Nozomi looks at Nico, "I bumped into Yazawa-san and she invited me here"

Umi regards Nico with a pointed look. Nico sticks her tongue out and does her usual pose.

_Nico, you little devil. No wonder Eri looked uncomfortable a while ago. She did not expect to see Tojo-san._

She returns her attention to Nozomi.

"You're a film student, right?," Nozomi nods her head, smiling. She seems unperturbed by the sudden questions

"Why film?"

"Well," Nozomi starts, "It's so that I could film a lot of cute girls, since it's inevitable to meet them in the entertainment industry."

Eri and Umi are stunned by her answer. Nico doesn't even bat an eyelash —probably because she's used to Nozomi's antics.

Nozomi's eyes sparkle with mirth. After a few beats, she laughs.

"I'm kidding" she teases, eyes glinting.

_She's quite the playful one._

"I've been moving a lot since I was a little kid and that taught me to treasure even the simple moments of life." She answers truthfully. Eri hangs on to every word that comes out of the director's mouth, "So, it helped me open my eyes to a lot of things and view life from a different perspective."

Nozomi stays silent, pondering for a while. Eri smiles, endeared with the girl. Umi watches Eri's expression and turns her attention back to Nozomi.

_She thinks really deep_.

"So I chose to study film, particularly directing and scriptwriting," the girl continues, a soft smile appearing on her face, "to share to the world a lot of things, maybe open some of the people's eyes to new things"

The corner of Umi's lips forms into a small smile.

_You're actually a great fit for Eri._

* * *

Umi's not surprised that in their following meet-ups, Tojo Nozomi has sometimes been invited to join them. Nico reasons out that she does it because it's convenient for her if the director is there, but Umi knows that it's her roundabout way of bringing Eri and Nozomi together.

Umi doesn't complain though, since she sees her best friend twice as happy. (And because it's funny to see the usual calm and stoic Eri blushing profusely because of Nozomi's _innocent _teasing.)

* * *

"Nozomi-san, how many months before the premiere opening of your class' film?"

Nozomi looks at Eri, a teasing smile evident on her face. "Why? Does Erichi want to go to the premiere and support me?"

"N-no. I was just curious!"

Nozomi giggles. Umi and Nico share knowing smiles.

The four of them has grown closer over the past few weeks and Nozomi has asked them to refer to her using her first name. They also told her to do the same for them. (Eri still adds _san_ because she's too embarrassed to say Nozomi's name without the honorifics)

"You easily flush red Erichi, it makes me want to tease you all the more."

Eri's blushes harder. "You didn't answer my question."

"A month from now," answers Nozomi, still smiling in Eri's direction.

Umi pays close attention to their interaction. She smiles inwardly. _How dense can you be Eri?_

"I can't believe this," Nico mutters, sighing heavily. Umi sniggers.

Eri and Nozomi look at their two companions, blissfully unaware of their surroundings.

"What?" inquires Eri. Her eyebrow rising in question.

"I said that I'm inviting you and Umi to the premiere," Nico lies. She sometimes can't believe how Eri, the smartest and most popular girl in UTX highschool, can be dense when it comes to other people's attraction.

Eri regards her two friends suspiciously. She doesn't find anything, so she reluctantly nods her head.

"Is it possible to invite another person?" Umi raises her question. Her three friends look at her with varying expressions. Nozomi appears genuinely curious, while her other two friends look at her with mischief in their eyes.

Now, it's Umi's turn to blush. _I forgot that I'm dealing with Nico and Eri here._

"Is our Sonoda Umi going to invite someone, probably the girl she usually sees at the train station?" Nico mocks playfully.

"S-shut up."

Eri and Nico roar in laughter.

* * *

Nozomi and Nico pretty much agree that it's alright to invite other people (Nozomi thinks it's a good publicity to do so.)

It makes Umi smile.

_Maybe I can invite Minami-san._

* * *

As much as Umi wants to invite Kotori, she can't seem to find the chance, since she sees her less the following weeks.

Their finals are coming up, so Eri opted to cancel their weekly meet-ups, which resulted to the reduction of Umi's chances to invite Kotori to the premiere opening.

One Saturday afternoon, she rode the train in hopes of seeing Kotori, but she was nowhere to be found. Umi thought that maybe she, too, was busy.

She didn't dare do it again.

On Wednesdays, she sometimes sees Minami Kotori but she's usually surrounded by her friends from university. Umi's glad that her classmates are helping her now, but she can't stop her disappointment since she's missing another chance.

She can't even invite her on Mondays since her morning classes are moved in the afternoon.

_How am I going to invite her._

She wishes that finals are over so they can go back to their usual routine.

* * *

The day Umi finally got her chance was on a Friday afternoon.

She just came from Akihabara since her mother asked her to get a package her mom ordered from a store there.

She's currently sitting on one of the benches in Akihabara Station, reading her study notes (Umi's not the type of person to slack off), with her bag beside her and the package underneath it.

Exams are finally over and she's looking forward to any semblance of normalcy to seep into her routine once again.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

She knows that voice. She looks up.

_Amber eyes._

"K-ko-, Minami-san" She corrects herself, still staring at the girl.

Kotori smiles at her. Umi can see that the girl is still wearing her maid outfit. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Yeah. Errands." Umi can't contain the quirk of her lips. "I was just about to go home."

"Do you want to go home together?"

Umi raises her eyebrow. Kotori flushes crimson.

"I-I mean, ride the train t-together, since w-we kind of live in the same area," Kotori clarifies, stuttering in the process. "I-it's okay if you don't want to"

_She's so adorable._

"Sure." Umi pretty much established that she can't ever say no to Kotori.

They smile at each other. It makes Umi's heartbeat pick up its pace.

Umi collects her things and puts it on her lap. Kotori takes the seat beside her.

They ease into conversation and stop only when the operator announces the arrival of their train

* * *

_I should probably ask her now._

Umi and Kotori are currently walking towards the exit of the Ochanomizu Station. A comfortable silence settled around them.

_Come on Umi, you can do it. Just invite her._

"I haven't seen you around this station the past few weeks." Kotori states her observation, studying Umi out of the corner of her eyes.

"Yeah. I was kind of busy because of finals." Umi explains, pulling the stuff she was carrying closer to her.

The silence turns awkward. Umi clears her throat.

Kotori looks at her expectantly. Umi opens her mouth.

Nothing comes out. She closes it. Opens it again. Closes it.

_Invite her to the premiere._

Umi steadies her breathing. She inhales loudly. Holds her breath. Then exhales it.

_She pretty much thinks you're a weirdo by now._

"Would—"

"This—"

They both say at the same time.

Umi looks sheepishly at the girl.

"You go first." She says.

"This is where we go our separate ways" Kotori states, her eyes darting from Umi and the surroundings.

Umi scans the area around her. They had just reached the exit gate.

_It's now or never._

"Yeah." She agrees. Kotori looks at her with curiosity.

"I-I was just wondering," Umi starts, nervousness lacing into her words. She bows her head to prevent Kotori from seeing her flushed face. "If you are free next Saturday?"

"M-my friend, her name's Yazawa Nico, is s-starring in a film," She continues without looking at the other girl, "and the p-premiere is next Saturday."

"I-I was kind of hoping if you would, maybe, a-accompany with me?" Umi requested, her face burning from embarrassment, "It's okay if you don't want to because I-I know you have w-work that day."

She finishes lamely. _Although I do hope you say yes._

She is met with silence.

_Oh God._

She waits for the girl's response with bated breath.

_She probably thinks I'm some creep._

Umi thinks that she will pass out any minute now. She tries her breathing exercises.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

_It's confirmed. She thinks you're a weirdo by now._

"I can't."

It wasn't the response Umi wants to hear. Umi can hear her heart shatter to a million pieces.

She tries her best to school her features and looks up.

Kotori stares at her with regret in her eyes. "I'm_ out_ with someone that day. I promised that we would spend the whole day together."

_Of course._

"It's okay." Umi tries to smile —she knows it comes out more like a grimace.

"I have to go now. My mother's waiting for me." She trails off, her voice breaking.

Umi bids her goodbye without waiting for a response.

She turns around and walks briskly towards the direction of her house.

_Just my luck. She's is in a relationship with _someone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Love Live! franchise or any of its characters. This story is entirely a work of fiction :)

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and wrote reviews for this story. I really appreciate that you took liberty and time to read this work of fiction. This is my first fic so any feedback is much valued.

**Anyway, I would like to take up this space to address the people who wrote reviews (you can skip it if it bores you :D ), so here it goes:**

_OrientalFail_ - Thank you! :) I just can't seem to abandon NozoEri since they are really my true OTP in LL xD **  
**

_Shione789_ - I try my best to do justice to my writing and I really enjoyed writing this too :) I'm also looking forward to writing more stories that involve other pairings in Love Live! Thank you!

_Bad one_ - Unfortunately, this story will be narrated through Umi's point of view because I wouldn't want to change the story flow. Although, I would like to explore more about Eri's and Nozomi's relationship (you just gave me an idea haha thanks!). I would probably write another fic about it, if I have time :) But mostly, this fic is only KotoUmi-centered.

_LiulfrKeahi_ - I really like Nozomi's character (she's actually my favorite). I see her as someone who's really mature and who views things in different perspectives, so she tackles problems a little maturely (as seen in the LL season 1). That mainly is the reason why I can see her as a director/scriptwriter, because I can tell that she sees things in a bigger picture, but still considers how the small details can affect each other.

_bkuebird_** - **Thank you xD Eri and Nozomi should just get married or something. Their chemistry is just _whoa. _When I was writing this story, the KotoUmi and NozoEri moments also made me squeal because I can just imagine them doing all those scenarios and it makes me grin like a idiot.

_Agent Dragicorn_ - I really thought hard about their courses. Like, I really looked up a lot of things before I settled on it. I have a rough draft of this story somewhere in my laptop xD I rewatched season 1 and 2 just to see the personalities of each character and made headcanons out of it. Their character designs are really complex, so I really had a hard time doing it haha. I've grown fond of Nico's character when I rewatched the series and read her SID. I'll probably explore her relationship with Maki and write a fic for them. I'm actually thinking about it now xD soon probably. . .

_CleideJam_ - Thank you! I'd like to think that Umi is not the type of person who easily falls in love at first sight. It's more like, she got curious and it won her over. She saw the different sides of Kotori and that endeared her to the girl. I'll explore the progression of Eri's and Nozomi's relationship in this universe but I don't think I would include it in here since this is a KotoUmi-centered fic.**  
**

_Kaney_ - Thank you for honoring me with your review :) Umi is really shy deep down, but she has her times of boldness and determination xD I hope I did her character justice :)

Here it is, the story's continuation and its last installment :)

* * *

_Sigh._

Eri and Nico heard a heavy sigh.

_Again._

_That would be the 4__th__ time since she arrived here._ Nico thinks.

They look at each other. Eri arches one of her eyebrow. Nico shrugs.

Something's not _right._

They are inside their usual café. Eri is typing her _Finance 301_ report on her laptop while Nico is holding her script and memorizing her lines. The atmosphere is serene. The only noise is coming from the cashier attendant taking the customer's orders.

And the _sigh_ coming from their friend.

They both direct their attention to Umi. She's resting her chin on her left hand, staring out at the window. Her book lay _untouched_ on the table.

Nico sighs and puts her script down on the table. She tears a sheet of paper from Eri's notebook. Crumples it. And throws it at Umi. It hits the side of her head. _Bullseye!_

Umi is startled out of her musings. She stares at them, lips pressed into a thin line.

Eri tilts her head in question.

Umi just stares at them for a couple of minutes.

Nico has had enough of it.

"Okay. What is _wrong_ with you?" She asks impatiently. Her eyes narrow and fix on Umi.

Eri closes her laptop, leans forward and gives Umi her undivided attention.

Umi opens her mouth. Nothing comes out. She tries again.

"I think I messed up," she mutters quietly, her shoulders slumped.

Nico and Eri nod their heads slowly. ". . .about what?"

"Remember that girl I keep talking about? The one in the station?"

"Yes." They both say in unison, still unsure what the problem is.

"I invited her to the premiere thing. . ." Umi trails off, bowing her head. Eri takes note of Umi's sad tone. She looks at Nico helplessly. ". . .and she says she can't go—"

Nico is about to interrupt her to tell her to stop moping around just because the girl can't go. That she can invite her another time. That she should not give up just because of one rejection.

"—because she's with someone." Umi finishes. Nico's planned speech dies on her throat.

_Well, that changes everything._ Eri and Nico stare at each other.

"And now, I-I don't know how to talk to her or even approach her—"

Umi's hands are shaking. Eri takes it and holds it tight. _She's really upset about it._

"—she probably doesn't want to see me anymore since I basically confessed to her that—"

Nico notices the tremble in Umi's voice. Her eyes soften. _She's holding back her emotions._

"—I looked like a fool back there and I don't think I can face her—"

"—you don't have to force yourself to see her," interrupts Eri. Umi looks up at her, eyes on the verge of tears, "You can choose to distance yourself."

"Besides, there are a lot of train stations going to your university," Nico adds, looking at her with a small smile, "you can find another person to _observe._" She winks.

It makes Umi chuckle, feeling that a small weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She wipes the corners of her eye and proceeds to hug her friends.

And just like that, the atmosphere becomes lighter.

_Thank God I have friends like them._

"You could also observe me, you know. I really don't mind, since it's practice for when the paparazzi's stalk me."

"Nico-chan!"

* * *

For the next few days, she doesn't follow her normal routine.

On Monday, she asks her father if he could drop her to school on his way to work. Her father asks her why. She merely shrugs and tells him she just wants a change of pace.

On Wednesday, she stays late in the library. (She reasons out that she has a lot of school work to finish, but she knows that it's not the only reason.)

Umi heeded Eri's advice to not force herself, since she's really not ready to face Kotori again.

She tries her best to distract herself from thinking about the train station fiasco— or Kotori, for that matter.

But Umi knows it's hard to just forget her since they've somehow grown closer.

Especially because she has come to _really_ like the girl.

_I should probably not subject myself to any romantic feelings, whatsoever. All it does is make me look like a fool._

* * *

The day of the premiere opening came.

Nico reminded her friends that their film will be shown in their school's auditorium at 3pm and that she will expect their presence or else their friendship will be over.

Umi drags her feet to Nico's school. As much as she's reluctant to go, she promised Nico that she will support her no matter what.

Although that doesn't stop her from wishing that Kotori could be there with her.

"Where are you?" Eri asks Umi on the phone. She is waiting for Umi outside the school's gate.

"I'm on my way to the gate."

"Ah! I see you." Eri ends the call and waves her hand for Umi to see. "Umi-chan!"

Umi notices and dashes towards Eri.

"Sorry. I was held up because of archery practice." Umi pants, her hands on her knees.

"It's alright. It's still early anyway." Eri says, pocketing her phone and letting Umi catch her breath.

After making sure that Umi's breathing is stable, they make their way to the entrance and surrender their entry slips to the guard in front. When they entered the school grounds, a student —probably an officer in-charge— hands them both a pamphlet. Umi reads _Tokyo Film Center School of Arts: Celebrating Artistic Talents_ on its cover.

"There sure are a lot of people here." Eri comments, looking around. There's a look of awe in her eyes. "We would probably get lost if we separate."

The place is decorated with large colourful streamers. Different stalls were set up —probably for food and games. Eri could see couples strolling around, content with just staying with their partners. Some people are participating in the games, particularly those that involve big prizes. She even sees a person wearing a costume and promoting their drama or play.

She would not be surprised if she sees a flyer about maid cafés or horror houses somewhere in the school. The thought of it brings shivers to her spine.

They walk further until Umi stops abruptly. She had seen a stall selling manjūs. Her eyes go wide and her mouth starts to water. She moves towards the stall before Eri grabs her by the arm. She looks back at Eri who scowls at her. She smiles sheepishly.

"It's like a cultural festival." Umi states as she composes herself. A tinge of pink can still be seen on her face, "We should call Nico to tell us where the auditorium is."

Eri nods and pulls out her phone from her pocket and starts to dial Nico's number.

"Erichi! Umi-chan!"

They both turn towards the direction of the sound and see Nozomi running towards them.

Eri freezes up. (Umi can tell that her friend is mentally preparing herself to face the film student.)

Nozomi stops in front of them, trying to catch her breath.

"I have a problem."

* * *

"I came here to support and watch the film and not to do _this_."

Umi knows that her whole face, neck and even ears are red from embarrassment. She agreed to help Nozomi with whatever her problem is, thinking that it would have something to do with running an errand.

A little while ago. . .

"_I have a problem."_

_Umi and Eri raise their eyebrows. "What can we do to help?"_

"_I need one person to do something for me." Nozomi pleads. She looks troubled and Eri can't help but associate her with a lost kitten. She has this unexplainable urge to wrap her arms around the troubled girl._

"_I can help you," Umi volunteers without second thought. She thinks it's rare for Nozomi to look so distressed so she gladly offers her assistance._

_Nozomi looks at her for a long time. She scans her body from head to toe._

_Then she _smiles _with a glint in her eyes. At that moment, Umi thinks that she had just signed a contract with a devil._

"_You are actually perfect for the role."_

"You're just going to stand in front of the stage," Nico counters, showing Umi her unamused face, "It's not as if you're going to act in a play."

They are currently inside the backstage, waiting for their cue to go out. When Umi entered a while ago, a dress was shoved into her hands and she was instructed by Nozomi to change into it. She was pushed by Nico to the changing rooms. When she came out —forced out, really— someone grabbed her arm and led her in front of the vanity table and promptly started applying make-up on her.

It was only when her preparation was finished that Nozomi told them of her predicament. Two of her models backed out because of a misunderstanding in schedule and they are in dire need of two substitutes.

Luckily, Nozomi was able to convince her friend to help her. She only needed one more. That's when she saw Eri and Umi.

"I know that," Umi fidgets in her seat, "but I can't go stand there wearing this _s-s-short_ dress" She points at her clothing.

"They will see my l-legs!" she cries out, her blush coming back full force. "I will never find a partner now, let alone marry someone!"

Nico slowly shakes her head and pulls Umi towards the full length mirror. "You look beautiful in that dress. You don't have to be embarrassed."

Nozomi and Eri both agree, nodding their heads. Umi surveys herself in the mirror. The dress does accentuate Umi's good points.

_Well, the dress is beautiful in the first place._

"Besides, you have someone up there with you," adds Nico. She looks at Nozomi. "Where is she anyway?"

"She was here before I left to look for substitute models," answers Nozomi, scanning her surroundings, "She probably went out to get something."

"Nozomi, I brought the playlist you asked me to make." They heard someone from the door.

"You!" Nico shouts, pointing her finger at the girl who just entered the room. Everyone looks at Nico whose brows are scrunched in anger. They shift their attention to the newcomer.

The girl crosses her arms and squints her eyes at Nico with distaste. The room fell silent. Everyone is waiting for one of them to make a move.

Umi, Eri and Nozomi dart their attention from an angry Nico and an annoyed redhead. The tension is so thick, one could probably slice it with a knife.

Nozomi tries her best to placate the tense atmosphere. "I see that you've met my childhood friend Maki-chan."

It didn't help.

"You are friends with this girl?" Nico shrieks and eyes her disbelievingly. "How could you be friends with a girl who doesn't even know how to apologize?"

"I have a _name_ you know," The girl snaps at her, "and why would I? I wasn't the one who was _not_ watching where she was going."

"You. Spilled. Coffee. On. My. _Dress._" Nico emphasizes. She looks at Maki with contempt. "I have a table read that afternoon."

Maki just scoffs at her. "Really? Well, _you_ spilled coffee on my _journals_."

They growl and grit their teeth at one another. Umi swears she can see auras emitting from the two girls.

Nozomi glances at Eri and Umi, asking for their help. It is Eri who intervenes. "Why don't we bury the hatchet? It happened all those months ago."

The redhead looks at her. She contemplates what Eri said.

"I'll agree." She finally says, her chin up and her head directed away from them, "I'm not immature enough to just hold a grudge just because of a _spilled coffee._"

Eri smiles at her, glad that the girl sees it her way. "I'm Ayase Eri, by the way."

"Nishikino Maki." The girl introduces herself. She shifts her eyes to Umi.

"I'm Sonoda Umi," She bows politely, "nice to meet you."

Eri and Umi look at Nico. She stares at them, not happy that they are ganging up on her. After a while, she succumbs.

"Yazawa Nico," she extends her hands. Maki hesitates, but eventually accepts it.

_I'm just doing this because it's rude not to take an offered hand._ She reasons out in her head.

The corner of Nozomi's lips forms into a large smile while she observes her friends. She pulls out a card from her deck. _Ace of Cups._ Her smile softens.

"I predict that we will be with each other's lives for a long time," she says. Her three friends look at her. She shrugs and just smiles mysteriously.

"You're up next. After the band intermission." the stage director announces to the room.

Umi's eyes went wide. She forgot that she has to come up on stage.

Wearing a short dress.

Exposing her legs.

She turns to Eri and attempts to beg her way out. Eri fixes her with a firm look —expressing that she won't easily be swayed. She changes tactics and stares at Nico. She only got a snicker in response.

_I guess I'll have to move to the Arctic region and learn the ways of the eskimos after this._

She dramatically falls to the floor, embarrassing scenarios start to fill her mind. Nozomi takes pity on the girl and pats her head, telling her that _it's alright _again and again.

Eri ignores Umi —she's pretty used to her when she becomes embarrassed— and directs her attention to Maki. "Nishikino-san, I have a favour to ask of you."

Maki arches her brow and looks at her.

"She", Eri points to Umi, who looks like she's about to pass out, "easily gets embarrassed in front a crowd. Could you hold her hand on the stage to ease her nerves?"

Maki looks surprised. She opens her mouth to answer but she is called outside the room.

"Nishikino-san, you are needed in the sound booth."

A girl grabs her by the arm and proceeds to drag her away. She looks back at Eri apologetically.

_I hope she does it._ Eri thinks, a frown forming on her face. She looks at her best friend and sees her hands trembling. She approaches Umi to try and calm the girl's nerves.

Nico looks at her two friends with a sigh escaping her lips. _Umi, you're in college already. It's about time to stop getting embarrassed for every little thing._

"Tojo-san, I made a few changes to my dress since it's kind of loose in the chest area."

Nico hears someone from outside the door. Nozomi excuses herself and exits the room to check and find out what the person outside needs.

Nico stands awkwardly at the center of the room. She looks around. Everyone seems to be doing their own thing. She figures that it's time to go back to her seat in front of the auditorium.

_I don't have anything to do here anymore._

She moves to exit the door at the same time as someone rushes to enter. She bumps into the person and falls back to the floor. She looks up, ready to reprimand whoever bumped into her, and sees Nozomi staring down at her.

"Sorry." Nozomi apologizes, smiling down at Nico. She offers her hand to the girl. Nico accepts it and lets Nozomi lift her off the floor.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Nico asks while dusting herself. She looks at the film student and raises her eyebrow in question.

"Ah! the stage director told me to ready the models, so I came to pick up Umi-chan," Nozomi explains. "I just saw her partner, so we're set to start the program"

_Isn't 'Ms. I-will-not-apologize-because-it's-not-my-fault' supposed to be her partner? _Nico thinks. She is about to point out that Maki left the room a little while ago, when Nozomi sidesteps to let someone enter the room.

"Nishikino-san just left—" Nico stops and stares at the newcomer.

A girl stands beside Nozomi and smiles at Nico. Eri looks up to see why Nico stopped mid-speech. Umi does the same.

She notices the girl and her eyes go wide.

_Amber eyes._

She quickly stands up, forgetting her previous embarrassment.

_Green ribbon tied to the right._

She can feel her throat closing up.

_Grayish-brown hair._

She can't move. She forgets how to breathe.

_Cute smile._

Her mouth is hanging open.

"This is Minami Kotori." Nozomi introduces. She appears to be oblivious to Umi's internal struggles and continues to smile.

…_Minami Kotori?_

Eri and Nico look at Umi, shock evident on their faces. Nozomi directs her attention to Kotori.

"Your partner will be Sonoda Umi."

After hearing the name, Kotori turns her attention to the girl. She freezes. Her eyes go wide and her eyebrows rise.

"Sonoda-san. . ."

It takes a minute for Umi to register that Kotori spoke her name. Once it did, she spontaneously combusts from sheer embarrassment. Her hand covers her mouth. All of them can see the tips of her ears go crimson.

Nozomi shifts her attention to Umi, who has yet to respond, and then back at Kotori. She's about to ask how they knew each other, when the stage personnel enters the room and looks at them.

"Good. The two models are here." The person moves to drag Kotori and Umi away by the arm. They are led near the stairs to the stage. "You stay here and wait on your cue to go out."

She goes away, leaving Kotori and Umi alone. An awkward silence envelopes them. Umi contemplates on what to say.

_This always happens when I'm alone with her._

"I'm sorry."

It was Kotori who spoke first. She is staring at the ground. Umi glances at her out of the corner of her eye. "I wasn't able to explain myself properly back then."

"I should be the one apologizing and—"

"—No." Kotori insists adamantly. She looks up to meet Umi's eyes. "You deserve an apology and a proper explanation."

Umi averts her eyes. She doesn't want to hear what Kotori has to say. She doesn't want to hear her rejection once again. She bows her head.

_I'm so naïve._ She thought. She can feel her eyes start to water. She blocks out her surroundings, too focused on holding back her tears.

"—promised her to spend the day—"

_I shouldn't have initiated a conversation before. I should have just been contented with watching her from afar._

"—should have ran after you but—"

_I should have kept my distance. I should—_

Kotori grabs Umi's left hand and holds it tightly to her chest. It brought Umi back from inner musings. Umi looks at her, forgetting how to breathe properly.

_This is it. She's going to tell me to not see her anymore._

"—if you'd like, we can go next week?"

Umi opens her mouth to apologize and promise to not see the girl again.

…_wait, what?_

Umi stares at her dumbly, mouth still hanging open. Kotori is staring at her intently, but Umi can see that her face is flushed.

". . .what?" Umi voices out her thoughts.

"I asked if you would like to hang out with me next Saturday? You could bring your friends with you." Kotori repeats what she said, a little unsure. She notices Umi's confused expression.

"Were you listening to what I just said?"

Umi shakes her head slowly.

"Geez, and I was explaining myself to you too." Kotori blushes harder. Umi thinks it's the most adorable thing in the world.

"I promised Tojo-san that I will help her in facilitating the program today," She continues, looking away from Umi. "since this event is a collaboration project between my school and hers."

_Crap. That's why she can't go._

"I was supposed to explain that to you, but you looked so devastated back then. Then you turned and started walking away from me."

_She has a legitimate reason and all I did was to act so selfishly and left her._

It's now Umi's turn to blush. She covers her face with her right hand. _I am stupid. Really really stupid._

"I was looking for you in the train station but I never saw you. I'm really sorry." Kotori lets go of Umi's left hand. (The literature student didn't even notice that they were holding hands in the first place.)

Umi finally opens her mouth to say something. She lowers her hand from her face. Kotori can see how embarrassed the girl in front of her is.

"No. It wasn't your fault. I misunderstood everything."

Umi swallows her nervousness. The fashion design student stares at her.

"…so, you're not angry?" She trails off. Her voice is soft, almost like she's afraid of speaking her thoughts.

"No."

"Thank God." Relief crosses Kotori's features. She smiles widely and moves to hug Umi tightly.

"I was really worried that I'll lose you"

Umi freezes. She doesn't know what to say next. Her mind is blank and she feels dizzy.

_Did she just. . .?_

"Can we talk after the event?" Kotori whispers in her ear. It makes Umi shiver. Her heart is pounding and it makes her knees weak. She lay motionless in Kotori's arms.

She merely nods her answer.

* * *

Umi doesn't understand what had happened near the stairs. It's as if her brain short-circuited. Everything is fast-forward and she feels that her own time is suspended.

She's still in a daze when they were called to go out. Kotori is the one who guides her throughout everything.

She even forgets that she is supposed to be anxious and embarrassed in front of the crowd.

The only thing that is keeping her sane is the fact that Kotori is beside her.

And that throughout the program, Kotori never lets go of her hand

* * *

Umi manages to make it until the end of the event.

Eri and Nico are waiting for her when she comes down the stage. They see her holding hands with Kotori and both of them give her a sly smile.

It makes her want to shoot them with her bow and arrow.

Her friends introduce themselves to Kotori. They tell her all the embarrassing things Umi has been doing the past few weeks—even her stalker-ish ways in the train station. It makes Kotori laugh and hold Umi's hand tighter.

Umi doesn't stop them, since she doesn't want to appear too bossy in front of Kotori. (and mainly because she doesn't want to stop hearing Kotori's laughter.)

Eri and Nico both notice how less high-strung Umi is with the girl and it makes them want to tease her more.

When they see Umi being comforted by Kotori, they can both only think how cute and perfect the two are together.

* * *

"I'm really sorry for misunderstanding everything." Umi says.

They are currently walking leisurely on the school grounds. They left the auditorium a little while ago to have their private time.

"I jumped into conclusions and didn't hear your side of the story." Umi stares at the ground, ashamed of what she had done.

Kotori cleared up the misunderstanding back in the auditorium. The reason why she couldn't go was because she's the assigned project leader for the collaboration between her school and Nozomi's. They were tasked to design the outfits to be used by the actors starring on Nozomi's film. It was their professor's way to help them branch out on their field.

When Umi heard the story, all she could do was blush in embarrassment and apologize profusely.

"It's alright." Kotori says, smiling at her. "Things turned out fine in the end."

It stays silent for a while. Umi is content with just walking beside the girl and occasionally admiring her out of the corner of her eyes.

"I honestly thought you were weird back when I first met you." Kotori says after a while. She picks up a dried leaf off the ground. "You were always staring at me and when I try to catch your eye, you divert your attention."

"So it really surprised me when you first approached me," she continues, smiling at the memory "and then you failed epically since I noticed your wristwatch was working."

Umi chuckles at the memory. She couldn't believe why she did all those things in the past.

_She got me wrapped around her little finger and she didn't even notice it._

"After that, I seem to always notice you on the train." Umi looks at Kotori. She takes note of how the girl's eyes seem to soften when she talks about their train station story.

"I talked about it with Honoka-chan, and she would only make fun of me," Kotori blushes. She picks up another fallen leaf off the ground, "telling me that I probably have a _crush_ on you."

Umi can't stop her heart from pounding. She forces herself to act normally.

"When I think back now, I probably really do." Kotori stops walking and directs her attention to Umi.

"I honestly never believed that you could like someone just because of fate or coincidences," Kotori states. Then, she smiles. The sight of it takes Umi's breath away, "but the past few months with you proved me otherwise."

That statement left Umi dumbstruck. She can feel herself start to hyperventilate.

"So does that mean…" Umi starts. She looks at Kotori with a dumb look. "…that it's okay for you if I ask you to go out with me?"

"It depends." Kotori teases. She takes hold of Umi's hand. "Are you asking me out?"

It makes Umi grin and roll her eyes. Kotori can only beam at her in return.

_How did I come to like this woman?_

* * *

The next few days bring pure bliss for Umi.

She and Kotori still continue with their routine, but she's certain something has changed between their dynamics. She notices the lingering stares Kotori sometimes directs her way. The a_ccidental_ brush of their hands that makes Umi hold her breath. Even the innocent teasing Kotori seems to be doing lately. Umi thinks that if Kotori continues to do those things, she would need a supply of oxygen on standby or else she will hyperventilate and faint.

She officially meets Kotori's bestfriend one Wednesday afternoon, when Umi got off her train car. Honoka can't seem to gush over how Kotori always seems to bring up the topic of Umi in their conversations. It makes Umi blush but the sight of Kotori all flustered and fidgety under her questioning gaze makes up for it.

After a couple of dates, Umi invites Kotori to her weekly meet-up with her friends (plus Maki—Umi's still confused as to why the redhead is there, and when the topic of it was brought up, what Nozomi did was smile knowingly at a blushing Maki.)

She officially introduces the girl as her _girlfriend._ The table erupts into cheers and her friends congratulate her.

"Congratulations for moving from stalker status to actual girlfriend!" Nico says to her, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. It earns her a glare from Umi.

"At least I'm not in denial with my feelings." Umi retorts, rolling her eyes. It makes Eri and Nozomi snicker, and Maki blush red as her hair.

Nico can only open her mouth in shock and indignation.

"S-shut up!" She shouts. It makes Umi smile smugly.

"Nico-chan speaks the truth though." Kotori states, smiling at her girlfriend. It makes Umi pout at her.

"Whatever. At least I got to snag you for myself." Umi says after a while. When Kotori is about to counter her statement, she kisses Kotori on the corner of her mouth.

It catches Kotori off guard, making her face turn crimson. Umi only smiles and winks at her.

Kotori hates how bold the normally shy Umi can be sometimes. Although she can't deny how it makes her heart race when the said girl shows her aggressive side.

Or any side, for that matter.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Umi still carries on with her train station routine.

She still continues to observe people on their daily lives.

But by far, Minami Kotori is still the best person she set her eyes on.

* * *

**A/N: **Once again,thank you to everyone who read this fic. I am hoping I did the story justice (even though I ended it that way lols). Any feedback is really appreciated. You can drop me prompts or ideas or you could just say hi to me, I don't bite. My tumblr link is on my profile. I'm pretty much online most of the time haha.


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